Locket and similar article.



J. A. FULLER; LOOKET AND SIMILAR ARTICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUIEY 3, l907- 4 4 WITNESSES: /0 [/VVE/VTOR ERS co, WASHINGTON, 1:. c.

PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. FULLER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF HAMILTON & HAMILTON, .IR., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

LOQKET AND SIMILAR ARTICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1908.

Application filed July 3| 1907. Serial No. 381,985.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs A. FULLER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lockets and Similar Articles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to lockets or similar articles of jewelry and'more especially to a method of making the hinge and of mounting.

it in the locket so that it is secured by retaining rings, as will hereinafter appear.

The drawing illustrates an exemplification of the invention. v

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the open locket; Fig. 2 a cross section through the hinge with the locket open; Fig. 3 a cross section with thelocket closed; Fig. 4 a side view of the hinge removed from the locket; Fig. 5 a section of Fig. 4 taken at one side of the block; Fig. 5 a View of a blank from which one of the hinged leaves is formed; Fig. 6 a bottom plan of one of the retaining rings, and, Fig. 7 a similar view of the other ring.

Reference numerals 1 and 2 designate the two principal members of the locket which are called arbitrarily the bottom and top, respectively. The hinge, as best seen in Figs. 4, 5 and 5 consists of a center block 3 bored through at each end, two leaves 4 which are bent up from a flat blank shown in Fig. 5 into the form shown in Fig. 4 and two pins 5 passing through the holes in the block and the eyes formed in the leaves. The overlying fiat portions of the hinge leaves are commonly simply pressed into position and need not be soldered or otherwise fastened together. The rings 6 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are made with an outline to conform to the locket members (usually either round or oval) and are shaped on the surfaces which fit into the locket members (the surface presented to the eye in Figs. 6 and 7) so as to fit said members; 'i. e., in the present instance rounded off at the edges, as seen in cross section in Figs. 2 and 3.

For a short portion of their circumference the rings are cut away from the surface adl oining the locket member, as at 7, to provide a recess for reception, of one of the hingeleaves and also cut away from the edge at the same point providing a recess 8 for the pivot for one of the hinge-eyes and a part of the hinge-block 3. The sharp corners 9 of the ring adjacent to recess 8 are cut away in the ring 6, which is intended for the top of the locket, as at 10. This provides clearance for the reception of the ed e of the bottom locket member when the 100 ret is open.

In assembling, the complete hinge, as shown in Fig. 4, is connected to the locket members, the bottom of one of the hinge leaves being soldered to the bottom member so that its pin 5 is fairly close to the edge of the member and the bottom of the other leaf being soldered to the top member of the the edge of the member. Ring 6 is then soldered into the bottom hinge member with recess 7 overlying the corresponding hingeleaf and ring 6*" is soldered in the top mernher in a similar way. The locket when closed, as in Fig. 3, is to be secured at the point 11 by any suitable catch, not shown, and as will be seen in that figure, the hinge is entirely concealed, the only joint or break section of the two members. To open the locket the catch is released and the members moved apart. Block 3 first turns upon the pin 5 in the bottom'member of the locket so that the edge 12 of the top member moves backward until itis clear of the adjoining edge of the bottom. Further opening movement of the locket causes the edge of the bottom member to telescope within that of the top until the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2. The edge of the bottom member and the corners 9 of the bottom ring under these conditions enter a space formed by the recess 8 and. by the cut away portions 10 of the top ring.

It is to be noted that while the flat hinge leaf members are not connected together in any way the upper part of the leaf is firmly held under the ring. Any unusual strain on the hinge, therefore, cannot open the locket leaves, since this method of fastening is much stronger than could be provided by soldering or pinning the parts of the leaves together.

. The block is made solid and the ends of the pins lie between the surfaces forming the locket so that its pin is further removed from in the outside surface being the line of inter:

' it limits of recess 7 in the rings so that the pins cannot work out endwise. Locket hingeleaves have heretofore been made without a double overlying portion, the fixedpivotal sockets for the pins consisting simply of fingers integral with one of the leaves curled around the pin andhaving no means of fastening. Such hinges are readily forced open by accidentally opening the locket too far, resulting in dismemberment of the joint.

Having described the invention I claim- 1. In a locket or the like, the combination of a top and a bottom member, a hinge comprising two leaves, a block pivoted separately to each leaf, and rings, one secured in each locket member and havingrecesses accommodating the hinge leaves.

2. A concealed joint locket comprising two locket members, a hinge comprising a block, two pins passing through the block and two leaves each formed of a flat blank with a cen tral aperture, the side members of which are bent around the pins to form pivots and the end members of which lie against each other, one surface of each of the leaves being soldered to one of the locket members, and recessed rings, one overlying each of the leaves and serving to hold the free member of the leaf in position.

3. In a locket, the combination of a top and a bottom member, a hinge comprising two leaves each formed of a flat blank with a central aperture and folded upon itself to provide a pin socket and one of the members of each leaf so formed being secured to one of the locket members, a block, and two pins, one in each end of the block, engaging the sockets formed in the corresponding hinge leaves.

4. A locket comprisingtwo dished memsembly.

5. A locket comprising two dished members arranged with their concave faces together, a hinge entirely concealed when the locket is closed and connected to the locket members at different distances from their edges so as to cause the edge of one member to lie within the adjoining edge of the other member when the locket is opened, and rings, one for each member, overlying parts of the hinge and serving to retain the hinge in assembly; one of the'rings having aportion cut away to accommodate the edge of the opposite locket member when the locket is opened.

6. A locket comprising a central block provided with two projecting pivots, two leaves each consisting of two overlying flat plates connected by integral side members shaped so as to form pivot sockets containing one of the pivots aforesaid and embracing one end of the block, and rings, one secured in each locket member, recessed to accommodate the hinge leaves, overlying the leaves and serving to prevent disassembly of the hinge by the pulling apart of the overlying leaf members.

JAMES A. FULLER. 

